Welcome to the third and final chapter of my HTTYD trilogy! I hope that you enjoy this installment as much as the other two. Please support my original work, "Battle for the Stars" by purchasing it or at least asking your local library to carry it. Thank you.
Vikings are stubborn people that's a given. When we set our minds on something nothing will stop us from accomplishing our goal, which is why we were at war for three hundred years. Still there are dangers when a Viking goes from stubborn into obsessed.
It was warm day, not that the riders and their dragons felt it so high in the air. They were flying through a dense, wet, and cold cloud bank. Since the riders return a week ago they had been kept very busy with their new responsibilities. They had to help with the preservation of the food, construction of new buildings and keeping the young children in line. Their dragons also had new responsibilities with helping to merge the new dragons into the social hierarchy of the pack. They had also been kept busy using the supplies they had procured on the quest to make the dragons' homes more comfortable. Today was their first chance to work together on some new training.
At the moment Hiccup and Toothless were soaring next to the Twins and their dragon. The two siblings had a gaumless look on their faces not quite sure what the point of this exercise was. As they shivered in attempt to warm up they decided to voice their discomfort loudly.
"Its freezing up here Hiccup! I think my hair has gone brittle. One good tug and it will fall off in pieces," Ruffnut whined unhappily. She tried sinking down in the saddle closer to Barf scaly skin, but the spines on the neck pricked her.
"Why are we even up here? We can't see a thing how are we suppose to guide our dragon?"
"That's the point. When we can't see what's happening we have to trust our dragons to guide us to safety. Observe," Hiccup explained. He nudged Toothless with his foot whispering for him to fly him out of the cloud bank. Toothless gave him a gummy smile.
"Hold on tight, this is going to be a fast ride," Toothless informed his rider. He opened his tail fin wide and tucked his wings in as he shot into the air. The Nightfury darted about gaining speed as he blasted through the clouds. Firing a plasma blast he dispersed the clouds creating an opening in the sky. With a sudden burst of speed he spun through the hole and out into the open air. The hole in the clouds filled in cutting off their view of the Twins and Zippleback. "You think they can do it? Chances are they'll fight each other instead of working together."
"I have faith they can work together. We just have to trust them." Hiccup stretched his ears using his enhanced senses to follow the Twins conversation. What he heard wasn't very encouraging.
'Trusting our dragon to guide us? I don't know about that. Barf, can you find your way out of this cloud bank?"
"I could get us out of this cloud bank with my eyes closed no problem."
"Trusting you is a mistake. I'm the one with the good sense of direction. You should follow my lead."
"That's good enough for me! Belch up!" Tuffnut commanded at the same time his sister ordered Barf down. The result was the two heads knocking into one another and the dragon started spinning out of control. As they fell the duo riders crashed into Meatlug and Fishlegs who were practicing the same exercise beneath them.
"Oh this isn't good this is very bad ahhhh!" Fishlegs screamed as he fell into the trees. Meatlug struggled to untangle herself from underneath the Zippleback's underbelly. Using a blast of fire she managed to blow the other dragon off her and started hovering to catch her breath. Looking down at her rider she saw him give her a hand signal.
Hiccup, who had asked Toothless to fly them closer to check on the riders, saw with his enhanced sight what Fishlegs had done. He was amazed by Meatlug's ability to understand such a rudimentary form of communication and complete a rescue. "That was incredible! When did you come up with such a cool idea?"
"During our time on Trollapolize Island I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a way to talk with our dragons when other dragons were listening. I've come up with some signals and they work pretty well. Also since there discreet our enemies won't notice them and other dragons will ignore them as odd human behavior."
"Let's head back to the Academy and get started on coming up with some signals. If this works out we can start training the younger children and the Terrors to respond to simple commands."
"Not to mention hand signals are the best way for Gothi to communicate with Lumina; you know since she's mute and all."
Back at the Academy the other riders were really excited to try something new with their dragons. It was a lot of hard work to come up with simple signals that could convey complex commands. For now they were starting out with both verbal and physical signs until the dragons mastered each one.
"This is going to be the coolest technique ever! You ready Hookfang to show them why you're the greatest?"
"Just make sure I can understand your signals and we'll have no problems," Hookfang replied as he gave his rider an affectionate gaze. The relationship between the two of them had gotten better once Snotlout stopped acting so bossy and Hookfang started to pay attention more. The Monstrous Nightmare waited patiently for his signal.
Snotlout shot his fist up into the air shouting "Hookfang annihilate!" The boy quickly ducked as a steady stream of fire passed over his head roasting a line of targets. "Alright you managed to destroy all the targets in one shot! You're amazing boy!"
"So amazing he nearly burnt you to a crisp. Might want to work on those hand signals. Okay girl let's show them what we can do." Astrid raised her clawed hands aiming them at the far wall. "Stormfly spine shot!"
The Deadly Nadder whipped her tail around firing her spines with deadly accuracy. The spines embedded themselves into the wall with only one nearly taking out Astrid's foot. "Good job girl; next time it will be perfect," she said patting her dragon on the nose. The Nadder cooed and wagged her tail in delight.
Hiccup and Toothless were doing well with their hand signals. They had managed to come up with few commands. They had one for "battle ready", "plasma blast" and "smile" though the last one needed a bit of work. Hiccup was very proud of his accomplishments. He was about to scratch Toothless under the chin when they all heard another argument break out between the Twins and their dragon.
"Stop trying to control my dragon! Barf attack Tuffnut!" Barf obligated his rider head butting her brother in the side. Tuffnut was not happy. Clenching his fist he ordered Belch to eat his sister's head. As the dragon head started to shake her she let out a whine of distress gesturing for Barf to rescue her. Barf head butted Belch and soon the cooperation between the four of them ended in a fist/head fight.
"All of you stop fighting this instant! Did you hear me I said stop!" Hiccup shouted, as he raced over. Suddenly he clutched his head in pain as his gem necklace glowed. As he sank to his knees the fighting stopped as everyone came over to ask him if he was okay. He brushed them off looking the Twins directly in the eye. "Remember how you all fused together as one back in the Valley of Night? You have to replicate that unity if this is going to work. Barf and Belch are two heads with one body so try using one command."
"Our commands would work if Tuffnut would follow my lead!"
"Why should I follow a girl? Everyone knows that men are the leaders of the tribe not girls!"
"That's it, I'm leaving and taking my dragon with me!"
"Don't you dare touch that dragon!"
"Hey stop it we don't move like that!"
"This is going to hurt!"
After falling in a heap the Twins took off in opposite directions and their dragon left unhappily trying to figure out what was the matter with his riders. The others sighed hoping that whatever was the matter with the Twins would be resolved soon enough. For now there was nothing they could do.
As Hiccup approached his house he heard shouting and painful grunts. Wondering what the fuss was about he opened the door and saw Gobber struggling to help Stoick put on the ceremonial belt. Apparently it was a little tight, not that anyone would accuse Stoick of putting on weight.
"So it's that time of the year again is it?"
"Yep, tomorrow is the annual signing of the treaty with the Berserker tribe. I hope that everything goes smoothly tomorrow with them."
"Why wouldn't it? The tribe hasn't been to war in fifty years and their leader Oswald the Agreeable is the most reasonable chief in the Barbaric Archipelago."
"Considering there are foreign dignitaries and dragons on the island this year Stoick does have pause for concern," a voice said from the doorway. Steinar and Ula entered the house with Nissa trailing behind them. Instead of her normal attire she was dressed in her royal Xanadu attire. Her light pink tunic with gold trimmings was freshly pressed and her lavender top and red toga drappings were freshly washed with new leather sandals on her feet. She had adorned herself in ruby tiara, her gem necklace with bronze wristbands.
The Honor Guard members had trimmed their orange hair along with some make up to highlight their turquoise eyes. They had put on a slightly modified version of their ceremonial uniform. They still wore their form fitting orange tunic and pants, but the trimming was silver instead of bronze. Their golden armor, helmet, and arm guard were freshly polished with newly sharpened weapons hung at their belt complementing their shorter capes. Both members had serious expressions on their faces looking at their princess.
"Hey Nissa, I was wondering why you weren't at training today. What's with the royal attire?"
"I've reviewed the treaty and it clearly states that if a foreign dignitary is on Berk during the annual renewal they must be present throughout the day to show they mean no threat and haven't created an alliance to go against the Berserkers. For that express purpose I have adorned myself in my royal outfit to declare my status," Nissa explained as she twirled around modeling her outfit. Hiccup's face flushed as he tried to keep his thoughts private though her smile said his appreciation for her beauty was sensed.
"I still feel as if this is a security risk. Though the Berserkers haven't waged war for fifty years, (and you don't look old enough to have been signing it with them for that long Stoick), it a huge security risk to have you present throughout the day. The risk to your safety is to great Princess," Steinar informed his charge. He fingered his sword grip nervously at the thought of fighting hundreds of crazy warriors.
"He's right Your Highness, especially since your determined to discuss ideas of peace and cooperation with Oswald. Tyra forbid you risk revealing our dual nature to this man in an attempt to broker an alliance. From our observations of the other tribes in the area it would be foolish to entrust our secret to them so soon."
"Ula, would you please relax. I'm not going to take that risk just yet, but I have to be present. I won't risk Berk's safety by not abiding by the rules of the treaty. Our own mission forbids me from doing that anyways. If something goes wrong I know that you and Steinar will defend me. Besides, it's not like I'm completely defenseless. I know tai chi and I'm wicked with a mace remember?"
"Maybe you can put those skills to use when Dagur arrives. That kid is certifiably nuts! Every time we've met I always end up nearly dead."
"I know that Hiccup, I comforted you that year he nearly drowned you remember? Don't worry I can handle Dagur no problem."
"Neither of you will have to worry about Dagur. I have a more important job for you. It involves the dragons. I need you..." Stoick started to say when the door burst open and a small shape shouting "Hiccup!" tackled the scion to the floor. An amused chuckle was heard as Orli strolled inside the house nuzzling her mate.
"Sorry about that Toothless. I was returning from my rounds, carrying out Stoick's orders. I thought Lumina would like a chance to stretch her wings a bit so I brought her along knowing she'll be unhappy tomorrow being cooped up. I decided to give my report and well she got a little excited," Orli explained, the amusement never leaving her eyes. Orli had adjusted quickly to living on Berk. Hiccup's room was to small for all three of them so she slept comfortably in a nest on the roof. She had yet to form a bond with a rider, though she didn't protest when someone needed a lift.
"I wondered where you had flown off to. I thought you'd want to see me in action at the Academy. Wait, what do you mean Stoick's orders? What have you been up to?"
"Preparing for the visit of the other tribe of course! Hiccup why do I have to stay hidden in my basket in Gothi's hut all day tomorrow? I wanted to play with my friends at the school," Lumina whined. She gave him the dragon equivalent of the puppy dog eyes, which only furthered the confusion of the teen.
"Dad, what are they talking about. Does this have something to do with what you need me to do."
"Aye, Oswald may be agreeable, but even he can't ignore the possible threat dragons pose to him should we go to war. I know that none of the villagers are looking forward to staying in their homes tomorrow and dragons hate being confined even more. Still its our best option to hide the dragons and signs of their inhabitance until after the Berserkers leave. So I asked Orli to help with those preparations."
"The nests on Dragon Outcropping are camouflaged and the shelters here re-purposed. The Timberjacks are going to hide deep in the forest and the Whispering Deaths have provided hidey holes for some of the younger dragons. The rest of them have agreed to stay in the air, though we'll need to patrol to keep them out of sight. I talked with the sentries who've agreed to allow the ships safe passage, but reserve the right to defend our shores should the Berserkers attack," Orli explained.
"So my friends and I are responsible for the dragons in the sky. I can handle that no problem."
"Good because unless something goes horribly wrong then the treaty signing will go without a hitch."
"I don't have a good feeling about this."
"Neither do I neither do I."
Just like the Honor Guard predicted something did go wrong the next day. The teens had done their best to hide the youngsters underground and were keeping the elders in the air. Everything was going smoothly as they recounted their memories of Dagur only to have Barf and Belch slip away to look for his rider. Attempts to catch them ended up in a failure as the horn sounded the approach of the ship. Hiccup and Toothless raced to the docks to inform Stoick while the others finished their task.
Hiccup raced towards his father on the docks as he saw dozens of ships begin to sail towards them, each marked with a dragon symbol on the front sail. He slowed as he reached the docks and glanced between the ships and his father nervously. Nissa was standing attention on his left side her Honor Guard flanking her. She looked at Hiccup as she sensed his dread through their bond. "Um Dad, there's something-"
"Not now son." Stoick interrupted as he observed their company. "Oswald is here."
Hiccup quieted and stared up at the docking ship with wide eyes. Nissa grasped his hand squeezing it gently. "It will be okay, just stay positive," she whispered.
A helmeted soldier lowered a wooden board and raised spear in his other hand as he called out to them. "Presenting, the high chief of the Berserker tribe. Cracker of skulls, slayer of beasts! The great and fearsome-"
"Oswald the Agreeable?" Gobber questioned.
The soldier shot the blacksmith a glare for interrupting before he continued. "Dagur the Deranged!"
The soldier stepped aside so that Dagur could be seen. The bulky teen turned towards them with a frown. Blue paint marked his left eye and right arm while two tall horns towered above his helmet, making him look much taller. He spit at the side of the boat and grinned wickedly at them.
"Dagur?" Stoick questioned in surprise.
"Deranged?" Gobber added.
"Oh no." Hiccup murmured as Nissa's eyes widened in surprise. She could hear in her mind Steinar and Ula whispering how they had been right.
Dagur strutted down the game-plank in all his glory, his eyes darting about searching for something. He frowned unhappily when he didn't spot what he was looking for. Stoick decided to address the teen chief and figure out what was happening. "Dagur…where is your father?" Stoick asked.
"My father has been…retired. He lost his taste for blood. I on the other hand am starving!" he sang out his last words. He chuckled wickedly towards himself before trailing off and looking around. "So…where are you hiding them…Stoick?" he asked, eyes full of suspicion.
"Hiding what Dagur?" Stoick dropped his arm and tried to look innocent.
"Do I look stupid to you?" the teen raised his voice.
"Trick question, don't answer it." Gobber whispered into Stoick's ear.
"We both know what's going on here." Dagur continued. "I have it on excellent authority that you're massing an army of dragons." He spun an axe in his left hand threateningly to emphasize his words.
"You shouldn't believe everything you hear, nor should you dismiss your father for valuing peace and stability over bloodshed and war," Nissa informed the teen. Dagur actually jumped a bit backwards as his men inched forward to protect their leader. It seemed that the Berserker chief hadn't noticed her until that moment. As he looked her over Ula and Steinar flanked her, hands on their swords ready to defend her if necessary.
"Well well I've never seen your or such exotic clothing on any of my visits to this miserable island. Who exactly are you and what gives you the right to voice your opinions to me?"
Nissa stood at her full height taking a single step closer to the chief refusing to be intimidated. "My name is Princess Nissa Draki of the island of Xanadu; a place some distance from here which is why you never heard of it. These are my Honor Guard protectors Ula and Steinar. We've formed an alliance of sorts with Berk and I'm currently acting as an ambassador for my people. Your treaty states quite clearly that I need to be present during your visit as an act of friendship," she told him smoothly. Brushing a strand of pink hair behind her ear she continued. "As for giving my opinion I don't see why I shouldn't. My people value peace, knowledge, and friendship above all else."
Dagur gave a bark of laughter clutching his side. "Peace? Knowledge? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! What good are those things if you don't have the power and weapons to back it up? See my armada of fifty thousand brave men? They've waited years to taste blood! I bet you can't even use that mace of yours!" Without warning he lunged at her with his ax ready to land a blow.
In the blink of an eye Nissa brought up her arm using her bands to block the axe. With a flick of her wrist the axe went flying into the sea. Growling the teen leader threw a punch which she again blocked. Taking smooth even breaths she maneuvered around the Berserkers punches responding quickly to each attack. He kicked at her only for her to side step and use his own momentum to trip him up. Snarling he whipped out a long knife slicing her toga and cutting her belt with the mace off. As he stood up again ready to lash out Hiccup surprisingly slid between the two using his dagger to block the knife. At this point the Honor Guard members had their swords out and ready to engage the Berserkers coming to aid their leader.
"Enough! Ula, Steinar stand down that's an order!"
"Men, back off all of you!"
"But Princess/Dagur!"
"Its alright, he wanted to see if I could defend myself and I've proven that just because I seek peace doesn't mean I'm defenseless. There is no reason we can't continue with this visit and treaty signing. Hiccup, please stand down."
"He tried to kill you! I won't let him hurt you!"
"So you finally developed a taste for blood Hiccup? What happen to the scrawny screw up? Did he disappear when you had your little make over? Love the toned, taller, muscular look, but lavender hair? What a riot!" Dagur laughed only to stop when he found a dagger inches from his throat.
"Nissa has been my best friend for years. If you attempt to hurt her in any way you'll see how much of a Viking I am!" he growled, his eyes flashing light green for a second. Stoick placed a hand on his son shoulder directing him away. Dagur smiled enjoying the rush of blood after such an enjoyable fight and impressed by Hiccup's bravado. Maybe this visit would be fun after all.
"Hiccup, why don't you go see how your friends are doing while Nissa and I give Dagur the tour of the village. We'll meet up later in the Great Hall for the treaty signing. Dagur, I'll let this skirmish slide, but if you threaten the princess or any of my tribe again we will defend ourselves understand?"
"Understood Stoick, I'm actually looking forward to getting to know Nissa was it?" He sheathed his knife and they all started heading up to the village. He walked closely next to Nissa with only Ula blocking him. "So, what was that style of fighting you used against me? I've never seen something like that before."
"Its called T'ai chi ch'uan or tai chi for short. It's a form of physical health and self defense based on the philosophy of using soft movements to redirect your opponents hard attacks causing minimal damage to yourself. It has many key points and can be used with weapons. Perhaps I'll give you a proper demonstration another time Dagur," Nissa responded curtly. She was slightly distracted from the conversation as she sensed Hiccup's anger and worry through the bond. No doubt there was one dragon loose in the village. She hoped that Hiccup could wrangle the dragon and hide it fast.
"Any form of combat that relies solely on defense isn't worth a Berserkers time, but I still would enjoy seeing you fight properly later. Maybe we can have another go this time with weapons and lots of blood flying!" The other Berserkers joined in with their chief's laughter as the tour reached the edge of the village.
Meanwhile, "Oh…this is bad, this is bad, this is really bad!" Hiccup spoke under his breath as he ran past houses, looking everywhere for the missing Zippleback. Adrenaline was pumping through his system. He couldn't believe he actually threatened Dagur, him! Something weird was happening to him and he bet an entire barrel of fish it had something to do with his gem necklace. He'd worry about that later. He needed to find Barf and Belch fast!
Suddenly Astrid appeared and latched onto his arm before dragging him in between two houses. "Hiccup, we have a problem."
"Oh yeah? you're telling me!" Hiccups voice grew frantic. "Dagur is the new Berserker chief!"
"What?" Astrid was taken aback.
"His father retired and he thinks we're hiding dragons!" He pulled his own hair, eyes wide with bewilderment.
"Well…we kind of are." Astrid said as she grabbed the boy's hands and eased them before he ripped his hair out. "Which brings us to our next problem." She gestured towards the ground under them and Hiccup followed her gaze.
"Huh…Barf…Belch…Here?"
They both looked up when they heard a grumbling across the clearing and they could see the two-headed dragon digging into a basket, clueless toward the young Berserker chief making his way into the village. The young Viking acted quickly and dragged the basket away causing the dragon to follow just as Gobber and the other walked in front of the houses.
"And we're walking…walking…" They stopped in front of a large wooden shed. "Here we have our food storage…where we-"
"Oh, oh, oh! Let me guess." Dagur interrupted. "Store your food."
Dagur walked forward to observe the housing and Gobber practically growled behind him. "No wonder they made em' chief."
"Boooring! Dagur whined. He paused suddenly and looked at Nissa. "So what contributions has your tribe given to Berk? I haven't seen anything new."
"We have contributed greatly to our friends. We have provided trade, knowledge, and culture to the island. The glass you see over there was crafted by us. We're responsible for the new school and have greatly added to their songs and stories," Steinar admitted proudly.
"In exchange Berk has offered us new items to trade including food and weapons, protection should we need it, and of course friendship. Our presences on the island is to further understand the culture here on Berk while showing the tribe and their neighbors the benefits of peace," Ula finished.
"Doesn't sound much like an alliance to me. We're Vikings we don't read and who cares about school? A Viking is born and bred to fight spilling as much blood as possible. Killing things especially dragons is what we do best. I'm beginning to think the Hooligan tribe's gone soft."
Nissa causally bumped into Dagur sending him sprawling to the ground. "Oops, you should watch your step. Here let me help you up," she said grasping his arm daring him to fling her to the ground. Grunting he got up and swore he heard her in his mind telling him knowledge was power when used right. "I must be getting really deranged. Let's see those dragon killing weapons and I'll show you a real man."
Inside the armory, Stoick, Gobber, and Nissa waited patiently as Dagur played with various weapons and pretended he was slaying different species of dragons. The Honor Guard members were standing nearby attempting to have a civil conversation with Dagur's bodyguards.
A random sword flew into the wooden column next to Stoick's head and he yanked it out without a flinch. He gripped the sword tightly in his fist, wanting nothing more than to slice the new Berserker chief's neck open. Sensing his mood Nissa placed a hand on his shoulder using her Dragon Heart to send soothing thoughts to his mind.
"He's really got a handle on that whole deranged thing." Gobber grumbled.
Stoick grip tightened and Gobber brought his hands up to ease his friend's rage. "Why…don' we see about signing' that treaty now?" He looked hopefully towards Dagur.
Dagur sheathed to sword on his back and frowned at the two older men. "You sound like my father…sign the treaty Dagur!...leave that chicken alone Dagur!...Put down that axe Dagur!"
Stoick and Gobber exchanged looks as the teen's voice hitched. "Your father is a great man." Stoick stated, walking up to fix Dagur with a defensive stare, eyes narrowing dangerously. "I will not have you disrespect him!"
"My father was…a coward. I intend to return the Berserkers to their former glory…something he was incapable of doing." Dagur stated defiantly. He noticed the princess eyes narrowing at him, her fists clenching. Her body language indicated she was having a difficult time keeping herself contained. Wanting to see more of her fiery temper he decided to test her limits. "You have anything to say Princess? You seem awfully upset about something."
"Maybe I don't like fools who disavow their parents based on absurd assumptions! My parents are dead. They died defending me and the rest of the family from men similar to you. I wonder how much you'd enjoying watching your loved ones life pass through the veil into the afterlife knowing they died for you. Taking pleasure from killing, whether it be human or animal, is wrong in my opinion."
"If your parents died defending you the I see no greater honor than that. I'll wager they'll be some of the fiercest warriors in Valhalla. As for killing, I see nothing wrong with the glory of ending a human or dragons life during combat. Maybe you just need to experience it for yourself to understand what I'm talking about." Suddenly there was a heavy thud on the roof and they all heard what sounded like something moving on the roof. "What's that? I bet it's a dragon!"
"You're truly deranged if you believe that a dragon would just show up here now during the day for you to slay. Why don't you tell us more about your deranged plans for the Berserkers Dagur?" Gobber said trying to distract him.
From outside the Armory Hiccup ran frantically towards the double doors and searched for the missing dragon "Barf…Belch!" he tried to whisper. He jumped when he head a gurgling from behind him and he spun around to see both dragon heads gazing curiously at him from atop the Armory roof.
"Hi Hiccup how are you?"
"Have you seen Tuffnut or Ruffnut?"
"NO! Guys you can't be here…oh come on," he moaned seeing the two heads were ignoring him. He paused and thought to himself. What do they do?…okay uh…think like Ruffnut and Tuffnut…I can't believe I just said that. He flung his arms up in a hopeful gesture in an attempt to shoo the dragon away. "Barf, Belch, Sky!" The dragon heads continued to ignore him and Hiccup was starting to get mad.
"Hiccup, what's going on out there? We're trying to stall Dagur, but he's about ready to leave!" Nissa whispered through their bond. He glimpsed in his mind what was happening behind the closed doors knowing time was running out. In a last ditched effort to get rid of the dragon he clutched the gem necklace willing the magic to flow into him.
An emerald green aura surrounded him and the Zippleback. Their minds linked becoming one. Without hesitation he used this connection to force the dragon to take off just as the doors to the armory burst open. "Hiccup, nice to see you again. What's the matter you look a little green."
"I'm fine, just a bit of queasiness. Hey, remember that time we went swimming and…you tried to drown me!" Hiccup couldn't help the awkward shudder that raced up his spine as he forced himself to sound merry.
Dagur let out a serious of bizarre chuckles. "Oh…the laughs we had. So I see you have a prosthetic, its a lot different then the one the old man has."
"My people have advance medicinal skills Dagur. When Hiccup told us he lost his leg in a fight I felt obligated to give him the best prosthetic we could make. It's almost as good as the real thing. I'm hungry Dagur, why not have lunch?"
They began walking towards the Great Hall until a loud grumbling sound echoed from in the village and Dagur and the other turned to stare at Hiccup.
The boy paused before thinking fast and imitating the noise he just heard while rubbing his stomach. "Blargarg…oh boy am I hungry!" he laughed nervously as Stoick guided Dagur away.
"I said it's this way, Dagur."
Dagur gave Hiccup a final look before walking with the other towards the Great Hall.
Stoick leaned down towards Hiccup and whispered to his son. "Get that dragon out of here." Hiccup stiffened at his father's harsh tone before the Stoick straightened himself and followed the others. Hiccup took a deep breath and ran behind the armory to see Toothless standing next to Barf and Belch as the two dragon heads snapped and growled at one another.
"We need the Twins," he whispered concluding the Zippleback wasn't going to follow any of his instructions today. He hoped that whatever was bothering the Twins would be resolved quickly before Dagur saw anything suspicious.
Astrid and Hiccup both pushed open the door to the twin's house and peered inside. They searched the darkened room as they walked in just as Toothless forced himself through the front door to join them.
"What are you guys doing here?"
Hiccup practically jumped out of his skin as Tuff's upper body swung down from above the entrance. "Hey Tuffnut how are you today? Feel like talking?"
"Whatever," he stated. He did a back flip before landing hard on his feet. He wobbled slightly and grinned. "Whoa…yeah, I love that part."
"Look about Barf and Belch, we need you and Ruffnut to help us get your dragon under control." Hiccup explained carefully.
"Uh, uh, No thank you!" Tuff's shoulder slumped at the mention of his sister. "I am officially out of the dragon business…and the sister business…and the dragon and sister business…the drist-ster-sness-ness…"
"What's going on with you two?" Astrid asked with an actual hint of concern.
"Simple." Tuffnut turned in the room and retrieved a wooden spoon the hold in front of them. "You know what this is?"
Hiccup frowned. "Uh…a spoon?"
"No, its OUR spoon, just like this is OUR dish and OUR axe and OUR well groomed stuffed Yak." His voice rose as he gestured to each of the items in the room. "Everything is OURS! But I'm sick of OURS, for just once I want something to be just mine! I don't even have an identity of my own. It's always the Twins! I'm just sick of it." He walked passed the two of them. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go pack up MY half of the Yak."
Hiccup's face filled with concern. "Go?...where?"
"I don't know. To my dark, soggy alone place…not to cry," he whispered. Looking around and his face fell. "This house…its has too many memories." He stalked out the front door and Toothless grumbled sympathetically.
"Tuff!" Hiccup called after him but the Viking wouldn't turn around. He and Astrid stood in the doorway and watched him go.
"Dark, soggy alone place?" Astrid questioned.
Hiccup made a disgusted face. "Yeah, I really don't wanna know."
A little while later, the entourage crowded together in the Great Hall. Hiccup sat next to his father while Dagur sat on the opposite end, rambling on about some nonsense with his fellow Berserkers.
Stoick leaned down next his son and whispered into his ear. "Did you get that Zippleback under control?"
"Not exactly, I'm working on it, but the Twins and their dragon aren't cooperating with me."
"Well do something about quickly."
While Stoick and Hiccup talked Nissa was patiently listening as Dagur bragged about his adventures and his plans for his tribe. Occasionally she interrupt adding an interesting anecdote. Behind her the Honor Guard was doing the same thing as they listened to the body guards. Finally Nissa suggested that Dagur give a toast so they could move along with the proceedings. He stood up and held his mug into the air. "A toast! To death!" He belted.
However Gobber stood up next to him and interjected with his own toast. "To your father!" The other Vikings raised their mugs and followed the statement. "To Oswald!"
Dagur slumped back into his seat. "Fine…whatever. To Oswald! To Oswald! Bladeh-blah-bladeda-bleh!" He growled in frustration and stabbed his food with a knife.
"Well on that cheery note," Gobber began. "Shall we sign the treaty and send you on your way?" He unfolded the parchment and presented it to the young chief with hopeful eyes.
"Great idea!" Dagur stood again. "Lets sign that treaty. Bring us the dragon's blood!" he commanded.
Hiccup's eyes widened from where he sat. "Uh…did you say dragon's blood?" He didn't have to glance over to know that Nissa had a horrified expression on her face. She blurted out, "Are you serious? Using blood as ink? Not only will that fade rather quickly it's not the best medium to use on an official document. Not to mention its disgusting."
"It's the way we do things here Princess; get use to it."
Stoick gave a nervous laugh. "Don't be ridiculous Dagur, yer' father and I haven't signed a treaty in dragon's blood fer' over fifty years."
Dagur eyed the larger man suspiciously. "Why would that be a problem, Stoick?" He brought his face closer and lowered his voice. "In less of course, you don't kill dragons anymore?"
The room Hall filled with confused grumbles and Stoick eyes their surrounding with caution before answering. "A-heh, we still kill dragons." He said rather forcefully, eyes filling with anger as he stared back at Dagur.
"The problem is," Gobber added. "We've killed so many, that there isn't a dragon within two-hundred miles of here." That was the moment when Murphy's Law inevitably came true as Barf and Belch burst into the hall looking for the Twins. Not seeing them they marched out outside unaware of the horror unfolding in the Great Hall.
"A Zippleback its a sign from the Gods! We're going to each have a head to slay and enough blood for even you Princess to sign! Men let's go hunt us a dragon!" Dagur shouted as the Berserkers flooded out of the Great Hall brandishing their weapons and screaming threats.
"Not good, not good at all!" Hiccup moaned.
"Now is not the time for self pity! Find the Twins quickly and hide their dragon. We'll try to stop Dagur, I bet he's never seen magic at work up close. Hurry!" Nissa said shoving her friend out the door as the rest of the entourage tried to catch up with their guests.
"How exactly are we going to stop them from hunting Barf and Belch? We can't risk the other dragons being exposed by having the Deaths or Timbers coming to the aid," Ula stated as they hurried along.
"The rest of our cousins are to high up and farther away to make a difference. Stoick and Gobber can't risk saving the dragon or the entire armada will unleash its power upon us," Steinar informed them.
"That's why I'm going to use magic, hopefully it will buy us enough time. I hope this works," Nissa said as she came to a halt a few feet behind the Berserkers. She closed her eyes and starting taking deep breaths. She used her meditation techniques feeling the light and energy from the sun and island filling her body. Raising her hands above her she began to chant a spell. "Our dragon friend is in serious trouble. A deranged chief seeks his death by taking his last breath. Copies are what we need so make them on the double!"
Her gem necklace lit up as swirls of rainbow lights twisted and bent in the sky above, not that the Berserkers noticed as they were to busy tracking to look up. The lights condensed and reformed into several copies of their Zippleback friend. With zeal the copies scattered around the forest splintering the Berserkers in several different directions.
"Good thinking; they'll chase those phantoms only to have them vanish when they try to kill them. How long will your spell last?"
"Hard to say its difficult to maintain that many copies at once. Maybe fifteen minutes tops and then I only have enough reserves to cast one or two spells. Let's pray for luck that Dagur doesn't find the real Barf and Belch before the riders do." Luck was being fickle with the group. Though a majority of the Berserkers ended up chasing phantoms Dagur seemed to possess an unnatural ability to track the real thing.
They had just reached a clearing where Barf and Belch were cornered. The Zippleback was snapping at the Berserkers trying to frighten them away. When they tried to fly away spears were launched at them nearly taking out his wings. Bolas were launched tying up their body as lassos wrapped around their heads bringing them down. Seeing her friend in trouble Nissa reacted on instinct casting a blinding spell. Dagur screamed in pain as his eyes were nearly burnt to a crisp. Seeing an opening the Zippleback managed to break free and was about to take off when the rest of the Berserkers showed up.
It was no contest as the overwhelming numbers surrounded the dragon bringing him down. They chained the legs, threw ropes around the body and lastly muzzled the heads. Dagur had a look of utter bless as he got ready to cut off Barf's head when Nissa touched his arm hoping her Dragon Heart could help. "Wait a minute Dagur..."
"If you think you can stop me from slaying this dragon then your mistaken Princess. I'm going to make this dragon's death glorious and bathe in its blood as sign of the Berserkers triumphant return."
"I wouldn't dream of trying to sway you from killing the beast. However you are a guest on this island and you did promise Stoick a head. Why not take the dragon to the Kill Ring and do it properly? I'm sure that all the weapons there would make this much easier."
"You know something your right. Maybe there's hope for you yet. Men, drag that beast to the Kill Ring! We're serving dragon meat tonight!"
"Nissa have you betrayed us? You can't let them kill us!"
"I don't want to be dragon meat!"
"Don't worry, I know Hiccup and the other will think of some way to rescue you. We just need a bit more time."
The riders had watched the events hidden by the trees. The Twins had looks of anguish on their faces as they watched their dragon be dragged away. "Please tell me your dad won't let our dragon be killed!" Ruffnut demanded.
"He may not have a choice. If he makes a move to save Barf and Belch then the armada is going to attack."
"Can't Nissa or the Honor Guard do something? Use their flames to make them forget about this?"
"They'd be risking exposure and certain death if they tried to manifest right now."
"We have to do something! We can't just give up."
"Well what do you suggest Fishlegs? The Berserkers outnumber us and Dagur is too stubborn to be deterred. It would take a massive raid to convince him to leave."
"Then might I suggest you do just that," a female voice said. They all spun around in shock as Orli and a bunch of other dragons landed behind them. She nuzzled her mate before continuing. "We've watched the whole visit from a safe distance and witnessed what happened. We refuse to allow one of our pack members to be slayed. If a dragon raid is needed then that's what they'll get."
"You have a brilliant plan don't you my beloved?"
"Yes, here's what we're going to do," Orli said as she laid out her plan grinning the whole time.
In the Kill Ring Barf and Belch struggled futilely to break free. The lassos were pulled tight forcing their heads to the ground. Dagur was moving in close for the kill as the Daypeaces stood off to the side nervously. Gobber was trying to keep Stoick back from blowing their secret. It seemed all hope was lost.
"With the slaying of this dragon I'll bring glory to the new reign of the Berserker tribe!" Dagur cackled raising his sword above his head. He was about to bring it down when a loud shout startled him.
"Dragon raid! We're being raided by dragons!" Hiccup, (in the poorest acting skills in the world), shouted. "Dad we're being raided by dragons!" The other teens, save the Twins joined him shouting about attacks in the village and bay.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" Gobber asked only to jump out of the way as Hookfang blasted fire into the ring scattering the group. Stormfly and Meatlug flew into the ring shooting streams of fire all over the place. Hidden behind different objects the riders gave their dragons the hand signals. Stormfly unleashed a barrage of spikes, Meatlug belly flopped and Hookfang tried to annihilate anyone in his path.
Meanwhile in the village, the Berserkers standing guard and doing inspections were suddenly under attack as twenty Terrible Terrors of variety of colors led by Lumina swooped down on the unsuspecting men. "Attack! Bite them, claw them, do whatever it takes to drive them from our island!" the little Skrill commanded as she somersaulted between the legs of two men. She lashed out with her sharp talons destroying their axes. Jumping on top of a barrel she fired white lightning bursts at the approaching men nailing three so hard in the chest they went down. She flew into the air avoiding a sword swipe using her tail to slap the man in the back of his head. "Is everyone okay?"
"We're fine Lumina! In fact this is the most fun we've had in a long while. Take that you overgrown bully! I'll bite more than your nose off if you come after me!" Fang growled as he leapt on top of another Berserker clawing at his eyes and biting into his nose.
In the bay the armada found itself under siege as the sentries attacked. The four Snaptrappers with all their heads working in unison dodged the catapults and harpoons fired at them. While two heads breathed fire melting their weapons the other two used their long prehensile tongues to grab men and hurl them into the ocean water. On the other side of the armada the Berserkers were doing a good job of destroying their own ships as the family of Changewings darted about leading the men on merry chase. The two youngsters used their acid to burn holes in the ships sinking four of them.
Back in the Kill Ring the Barf and Belch had "accidentally" been freed by Ula and Steinar rushing to the aid of the Berserkers. The Twins were working in perfect harmony as they used their hand signals to command the Zippleback to release their gas and spark it injuring several of the Berserkers. Stoick and Gobber rushed in to "help" contain the dragon.
"This is the most glorious sight I've ever beheld. Men, don't give up until your final breath! I want the head of at least one dragon!" Dagur shouted.
"Watch out!" Nissa shouted tackling the teen chief as two Nightfuries entered the ring firing plasma blasts. Orli and Toothless landed a few feet from the fallen teenagers as Hiccup rushed in to "save" them.
"Back you monstrosities! I won't allow you to harm my friends," Hiccup said as he took a swipe at them with his dagger. Giving the signal Toothless shot a round of plasma blasts that Hiccup deflected with shield. Unsheathing his teeth the male Nightfury jumped on top of the boy ready to bite him when Hiccup squirmed out the way leading the dragon away.
"Nightfuries they do exist! I'm going to be the first Berserker to kill one!" Dagur crowed throwing a knife at Toothless only for Orli to snap it out of mid air destroying it in the single bite. Behind Dagur Nissa gave her own hand signal ordering Orli to use her tail to smack the teen into the wall, which she complied to. The Daypeace had to duck as Dagur went flying over her head into the far wall. One of his knives slid across the floor towards Nissa who picked it up to defend herself with.
"Orli, watch it you nearly took off my head!" Nissa hissed ducking under a claw strike. Orli was inching closer using a fury attack to force the girl back towards Dagur, who was trying to get up.
"Sorry, but we have to make this realistic or he won't believe it. Do you have the treaty?"
"Yeah get into position. Sorry in advance!" Nissa whispered. "I'm not afraid of you dragon. Take this!" Orli allowed herself to be slightly cut by the knife drawing a bit of blood. Jumping backwards Nissa dragged Dagur out of the Ring with his men trailing him. "You need to get to safety now!"
"I'm not running away like a coward!"
"A good warrior knows when to retreat to fight another day. If you want the blood a dragon so badly here take this and sign the treaty," she said shoving the parchment and knife at him. Fire was shooting at them in all directions and they could hear screams of terror as the rest of the Berserkers raced back to the boat. Even Dagur could see that it was necessary to retreat to save the rest of his men. Taking the knife he signed the treaty in blood and raced back to his boat.
Nissa watched him go using her royal abilities to call out to the Changewings and Snaptrappers informing them to retreat. Orli came up from behind her and watched until the armada was nothing, but distant specks in the horizon. The female friends shared a smile hugging each other before re entering the Academy. "The Berserkers are gone and Dagur signed the treaty. Despite Hiccup's horrible acting and the Twins squabble I have to say I think this visit went rather well."
"It certainly was the most interesting treaty visit. Let's hope the next one isn't as wild," Gobber mentioned.
"The important thing is that Berk is safe and the dragons aren't dead."
"I hope we don't see Dagur or his Berserkers for a long time."
"Something tells me we'll be seeing Dagur sooner rather than later."
On the flag ship the Berserkers were apologizing to Dagur for failing to slay a single dragon during the attack. They had lost a total of five ships and more than half the men were injured. "Apologizes Deranged One. We failed to kill a single dragon, but surely this attack is proof enough of what are source said was true. They do have a dragon army! Once we recover we can return to wage war on them and..."
"No, I signed the treaty and no matter how ill it makes me I can't wage war for at least another year. No matter, I'm no longer interested in whatever Stoick's plans are. I'm interested in someone else, two someone elses. Gather your stealthiest men and prepare for a long term observation mission. Send word to our source I want all available knowledge on both Hiccup and his friend Princess Nissa. I don't know what is going on between those two or what secrets there hiding, but know this. One way or another I'll make them both mine!" Dagur laughed deranged as his obsession over the two took root.